Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Today is the feast of the Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, celebrated by both Catholic and Orthodox Churches. I was curious about the name of the feast and the readings selected for today, since none of them contain anything about Mary. So I searched a bit and found out that the basis for much of the teachings on Mary’s early life come not from the canonical four Gospels but from the Narrative of James. Although the story of the Annunciation is told in Luke 1, the Presentation of Mary (when her parents Joachim and Anna are told that Anna, who had been thought to be barren, would soon give birth to a child) is known from the Protoevangelium of James. So, now you know a little bit more about the background of the Mary narrative.

I have always been moved by the faith of the widow in Luke. In the patriarchal society of 2,000 years ago, widows were generally on their own and, if low income or poor while married, not likely to have very pleasant lives once widowed.

I have been so fortunate to know many selfless people – members of the religious communities of Sisters, the men of the Society of Jesus, and students who embark on year-long service commitments – who truly walk the talk of generosity by the way they live their lives. I have interacted with people who care for the homeless, the addicted, the abused, who take jobs not for what they can personally gain but for the good that they can do. But when I reflect on this woman, and her faith in offering all that she had, keeping nothing in reserve for herself, I am humbled and inspired.

As I hold those feelings of admiration in one hand, I consider the motivations of the wealthy people Jesus cites in Luke. They give from their surplus, they calculate what they can afford to give, they do not jeopardize their own livelihood and lifestyle. I find it instructive that Jesus does not say the gift of the wealthy is not generous, only that the widow had given more. He does not criticize the wealthy, but rather extols the widow.

During this past year in the U.S., and internationally, with the incredible increases in the number of refugees and displaced and materially poor people, there has been much rhetoric that is suggestive of selfishness rather than generosity, of protectionism rather than openness, of exclusion and rejection rather embracing and supporting. I think this happens because we tend to focus on what we have (or don’t have, or think we have lost) in material items, especially in comparison to those more fortunate than us, rather than being like the widow and focusing on what we can do for others.

Luke’s widow today reminds us that doing good is not a calculus, but a sacrifice, not thoughtless, but a mindful action. Jesus praises the widow because she gives from her need, not from her surplus.

And so my prayer today is for the generosity of spirit, of heart, of detachment, that the widow possessed, and to fight my innate tendency to be calculating, to be safe, to be concerned with my security, like the wealthy that Jesus observed.